It’s crunch time for the nervous families of the remaining hostages held by Hamas. Under the rules of phase one of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage deal, another nine living hostages will be released by the end of the month. Including the three on Saturday. Along with more of the already dead. Remaining living hostages would be released in a phase two, which has not yet been agreed to.
The last few batches of hostages put on display in propaganda moves by Hamas have looked worse and worse. Malnutrition is a common malady. Plus untended wounds. And mental degradation. As information emerges. Spending months in dark damp tunnels, bodies chained to walls, humans forced to grovel like animals.
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The feared, but now confirmed, horrible state of the hostages is raising pressure on the Israeli government to try and speed up the release of the prisoners. If not quite the all-or-nothing approach of President Donald Trump’s proposal earlier this week, then at least an accelerated phase one release program and an extended release beyond the deadline for the start of phase two.
We recently had the chance to meet with the relatives of some of the hostages who have been freed under the current plan. Elan Tiv Siegel, daughter of 65-year-old North Carolina native Israeli-American Keith Siegel, freed earlier this month, told us that while his father suffered from real malnutrition and lost 65 pounds, he kept his spirit and mind alive.
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Likewise, 24 year-old Romi Gonen, who gained freedom late last month, on the surface at least seems like any bubbly young woman. But in fact, her sister Yarden told us she had suffered a bad arm injury, which will need months of surgery and rehab to try and get back into shape. She also made the common complaint of a horrendous diet.
Everyone we spoke with sees the role of President Trump as a positive that pushed what had been a months-long stalled hostage deal across the line. While they like the sound of a mass release of the long-held captives, they are a little worried about rocking the ceasefire “boat” too much, by going for too much too soon, acknowledging the fact that Hamas are terrorists.
Still, a light at the end of this very horrible long tunnel might be a bit more visible at this time.
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